Fairfield County sees first death from H1N1 virus

The Connecticut Department of Public Health confirmed six additional deaths from the novel H1N1 "swine flu" virus, including the first reported fatality in Fairfield County.

The death -- reported to the state on Oct. 27 -- is the first in Fairfield County, which has seen more than 740 laboratory-confirmed cases since the first wave of testing began in April, said DPH spokesperson Diana Lejardi.

For confidentiality reasons, victims of H1N1 virus are identified only by their county of residence and their age range, Lejardi said. The victim in Fairfield County was between the ages of 70 and 79, she said.

Since mid-October, the DPH has reported confirmed cases of the H1N1 virus in waves. The first wave of the 2009 pandemic -- in which 10 deaths were reported -- began in April and peaked in June.

The second wave, beginning Aug. 30 and ending Nov. 10, brings the state death count to 16 and the total number of confirmed cases to 2,436. All 16 H1N1 victims had underlying medical conditions, Lejardi said.

Local health officials said Monday, the county's first death is cause for concern, and cautioned that influenza-related hospital visits are likely to increase as flu season moves gets underway.

"The flu season has really only just begun," said Erin Fitzgerald, infectious program coordinator at Norwalk Hospital. "By the end of March, we're going to see a lot more confirmed cases (of H1N1)."

In Norwalk, there have been a total of 72 confirmed lab tests for H1N1 since April 2009. There have 76 reported cases in Stamford, 28 in Westport, 31 in Wilton and 28 in Weston.

Fitzgerald cautioned against mistaking the city's second wave numbers, which show only seven confirmed cases in Norwalk, for good news.

Hospitals throughout the state only report the number of patients they admit who have severe H1N1 symptoms. At least eight people that tested positive for type A influenza were sent home from Norwalk Hospital on Friday because their flu-like symptoms weren't severe enough to be admitted, Fitzgerald said.

"Those people have left the hospital and are back in the community, so I don't want to give anyone a false sense of security," she said.

The DPH goes a step further, saying laboratory-confirmed cases represent only a fraction of the likely number of cases in the state because many persons with mild symptoms do not seek care from a doctor or hospital, but recover at home.

Fitzgerald recommends to anyone sent home from the hospital with flu-like symptoms that they stay isolated for at least 24 hours until their symptoms subside.

Respiratory etiquette and frequent hand washing are also important to preventing the spread of virus, she said.

Vaccine to protect against the 2009 H1N1 flu virus is available; however, initial supplies are limited to the first priority group, which includes pregnant women, persons providing care to infants, health-care emergency workers, children ages 6 months to 4 years and children 4 years to 18 years who have underlying medical conditions, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Norwalk Hospital is hoping to see shipments of H1N1 vaccine for the general population in early-December, Fitzgerald said.